Product Description

Twelve-year-old Hans Thomas lives alone with his father, a man who likes to givehis sons lessons about Life and has a penchant for philosophy. Hans Thomas' mother left when he was four (to find' herself) and the story begins when father and son set off on a trip to Greece, where she now lives, to try to persuade her to come home. En rout, in Switzerland, Hans Thomas is given a magnifying glass by a dwarf at a petrol station, and the next day he finds a tiny book in his bread roll which can only be read with a magnifying glass. How did the book come to be there? Why does the dwarf keep showing up? It is all very perplxing and Hans Thomas has enough to cope with, with the daunting prospect of seeing his mother. Now his journey has turned into an encounter withthe unfathomable...or does it all have a logical explanation?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17813 in Books
• Published on: 1997-06-02
• Original language: Norwegian
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

About the Author
Jostein Gaarder is the author of SOPHIE'S WORLD, a huge bestseller in over 40 countries. He was born in Oslo in 1952 and lives there now with his wife and two sons.

Customer Reviews

Are you a joker?
A dwarf with a magnifying glass, a miniature book inside a sticky bun, a dad with a passion for playing card jokers and philosophising, all add up to one weird journey for 12 year-old Hans Thomas.

It is a journey that is difficult emotionally for both Hans and his father. They are driving from Norway to Greece to find Hans’ mother who left eight years ago to ‘find herself’.

This is another delightfully deceptive book by Jostein Gaarder, the Norwegian author of the best-selling Sophie’s World. Hidden within the exterior of a simple mystery story, Gaarder presents his reader with a view of life that causes one to stop, pause and ponder.

Hans finds that the story of his miniature book intertwines with the story of his life. This is cleverly reflected in the chapter alternation between the two stories. All the chapters are named from a playing card.

As Gaarder progresses through the suits, Hans has to figure out what exactly is the reality that is unfolding. The journey, both literally and through the miniature book’s story, makes Hans face some big questions of life.

This book is all about those ‘big questions of life’. Hans must face the transition from child to adult. His father must face whether his marriage can be mended. We, the readers, must face whether we want to be one of a pack of cards or the joker looking in from the outside.

This book is one to be read when one wants to be baffled, delighted and challenged all at the same time. Be baffled in deciding what is real and what is imaginary. Be delighted by the mastery of Gaarder’s story telling. Be challenged to find the joker in you.

Most definitely my favourite book of all time...
After reading the first few pages of this novel I was hooked.

The one thing that makes Jostein Gaarder stand out from other authors is the way that he integrates thought-provoking ideas, historical facts and a spellbinding storyline so seamlessly.

Whilst reading the book, and ever since I finished it, I have not stopped thinking about the ideas raised in this book. The magical settings of this story also help to create a truly memorable read.

I reccomend this book to anyone as I believe that the fundamental ideas and easily-accessible storyline would appeal to any human being.

This book is totally amazing and thought provoking
After not completing Sophie's World, which my mother had got from a teacher at the school where she'd worked for free, I was given this book as a Christmas present having already been enchanted by the Christmas Mystery, which was a wonderful story. I had my apprehensions and it took me about a week before I got into the story but once Hans had discovered the Sticky Bun Book, i was absolutely hooked!
But why would whoever is reading this review want to read this book? For one thing, it makes you think, like properly about life and this is something not enough people do. The whole joker thing is so tru in our lives today, that people really do live their lives like it's nothing special and fall into different suits, without even realising it! Gaarder is such a wonderful story teller, and this book is not just a bout philosophy, but more about realising that there's more to life than fitting into a particular slot and not trying to see past it. This book changed my whole outlook and am now a self-confessed Joker because only a joker sees through the delusion.....